Brandon is a Niagara University graduate with a passion for esports. He writes about League of Legends and esports, with analysis and commentary on both. He is a founding member Niagara University Esports and the previous mid laner/coach for the NU Esports LoL team. Twitter @GhandiLoL

League of Legends: LEC Summer 2019 Playoffs | Round 2 Preview

The LEC Summer 2019 Playoffs are moving into the second stage! Here in Round Two, Rogue (“RGE”), Schalke 04 (“S04”), Fnatic (“FNC”) and G2 Esports (“G2”) will all take to the stage. G2 and FNC are organizations that no one is surprised to see here, as they’ve been on top all season. But Rogue and Schalke may surprise some. They both won their Round One series in dominantly and proved they deserved to advance further.

The LEC bracket is different from others, so the two teams that will likely be in the Finals have a chance to duke it out early. G2 and FNC will play each other for a ticket straight to the Finals in Athens. Whoever loses that match will have to play the victor of S04 and RGE. It’ll be a tall task for either of these teams to defeat the European superpowers, but first, they have to focus on their series against each other. All four of these teams are looking great, so these series are sure to deliver some high-quality matches!

Rogue vs Schalke 04

Rogue vs Schalke 04 is the first series of the weekend. After defeating Splyce in 3-0 fashion, Rogue is riding high coming into the match. It honestly wasn’t close at all, which is crazy to think of considering Rogue’s abysmal Spring Split and the fact that many considered Splyce to comfortably hold the region’s #3 spot. The team has resurged this split with the addition of Larssen though. In their previous series, Rogue showed multiple different styles, like the Garen-Yuumi bottom lane, and clean execution on win conditions. This demonstrates their growth as a team and how far they’ve come this season. Their competition cannot underestimate them.

But Schalke 04 is no slouch themselves. Most expected LEC-staples Vitality to advance, but S04 shut them down. They won 3-1 but probably could’ve won with a 3-0 if not for Vitality’s stubbornness in Game Three. For a while now, S04 has been a middle of the pack team but is looking to end that perception. Their match against VIT showcased their ability to be proactive while absorbing pressure from aggression. Both will be crucial moving forward. On top of this, they were the first LEC team to defeat the Garen-Yuumi combination and used some unique picks of their own to decent success.

Overall, this is bound to be a very close series. Both teams have far exceeded expectations and are worthy underdogs to root for moving forward. The junglers will be key in this matchup, as both of them have been major players for their teams this split, though Trick has been more consistent while Inspired is more champion dependant. In the end, the prediction for this series is Rogue 3-2, due mostly to their convincing win over Europe’s third-seed in Splyce. Don’t be surprised if Schalke takes the win though.

G2 Esports vs Fnatic

The other matchup is surely exciting, but this is the one everybody is waiting for. G2 and Fnatic, the two titans of Europe, are set to take to the stage. G2 is considered to be one of the best teams in the world, if not the best. After winning the Spring Split and Mid-Season Invitational, G2 came into Summer and continued to dominate. The skill ceiling on each of these players is incredibly high and their unique, aggressive style is hard to beat. Again and again, they’ve innovated and pushed LoL to its limits. It should be noted that though they dropped some “troll” games near the end of the season, their minds will be focused in the post-season.

And so will Fnatic’s. G2 didn’t lose much, but Fnatic can brag that they were one of the teams to bring down these giants. They’ve shown an aggressive style of their own that is nearly as powerful as G2’s. In addition, they were the first to debut the Garen-Yuumi bottom lane in Europe and are quick to adapt to the meta. Last year, FNC made it all the way to the World Championship Finals. This year, they’re out to reclaim their spot at the top of Europe and make it to the World Finals again. With Nemesis stepping up and Broxah having an amazing split, they certainly have a chance to do so.

Like the other, this should be a close series. These two teams have extensive experience in best-of-five situations and a wealth of different strategies to utilize. The safe prediction is G2 Esports 3-2. Though Fnatic has looked great this year, it’s hard not to sing G2’s praises and that’s rightfully so. With this roster, G2 is an absolute powerhouse with high aspirations at being LEC and World Champions.

LEC Playoff Round Two BROADCAST

These matches will be some of the best games fans have seen all split! The RGE vs S04 series will be played on Friday at 6 pm CEST/ 12 pm EST, while the G2 vs Fnatic one will be held on Saturday at 5 pm CEST/ 11 am EST.

Watch the LEC here at ESTNN TV. For more information on the tournament, teams, standings, and players, visit www.lolesports.com. Stay tuned here at ESTNN and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more League of Legends news, articles, opinions and more.